Colourpop Haul & First Impressions

Hello! I have been missing this blog so much lately so I am really excited to be posting this. I can't say I'll be back and posting as often as I used to but I'd definitely like to start posting a little more often if I can find the time. Anyways, I recently ordered from Colourpop after they released their new pressed powder eyeshadows! There were a few shades I was really wanting and I have always had the urge to try their matte liquid lipsticks so I went ahead and made an order. The order took about 5 days to ship and after it shipped it came 1 week later. For the most part the shipping was pretty standard and good except for the fact that the highlighter and one of the eyeshadows I ordered came broken :( I contacted Colourpop and they offered a coupon code for the value of the two products which was great. This could be a pretty lengthy post since I like to add lots of pics so get comfy :)

 First of all, I love all of their packaging. The attention to detail is amazing!

 I decided to pick up 3 of their new shadows in the shades Bel Air, Come and get it, and Goody Two-shoes. Not gonna lie, I mainly bought Bel Air because of the name but it turned out to be a gorgeous crease/transition shade.

 I used Bel Air and Come and get it in my look today and I loved them both. Bel Air is the perfect crease shade and it blends so nicely. Come and get it has great pigmentation and is a great pop of color on the lid.

 I also got two Super Shock eyeshadows in I heart this and Bill and sadly I heart this came super broken. I tried to swatch it and it's pretty hard to pick up any product in its condition which is super sad because it looks like a beautiful shade.

 The texture of these is super interesting, it almost feels like a cream when I dip my finger in and it's pretty spongy. However when I swatch it, it comes off as a powder. Haven't tried these out on the eyes yet so I'll have to see how they are.

 The Super Shock highlighter in Wisp looks so beautiful in swatches I saw online and it really is a beautiful color. The texture is the same as the Super Shock eyeshadows. I found it a little harder to get onto my brush than a normal powder highlighter; however once I got it on its a beautiful, pigmented highlight.

Not sure what happened with this one, it looks like it shrunk and shriveled up! I'm wondering if there is something different about the Super Shock metallic formula since both powders that came damaged were metallic shades and the matte shade was fine. I also think it could be caused by temperature change? Who knows.

This is the first cream contour I've ever tried so I can't compare it to much. But I did like it! It blended very easily and gave me a nice subtle, but apparent contour. I did go over it with some bronzer and it looked great! I think I picked the perfect shade (Dove) for my super fair complexion.

 Here's my fave part! I've had a huge obsession with liquid matte lipsticks lately and I had to get more. I got the shades Midi and Vice as well as another set of 5 lip products. I was hoping to find the perfect everyday nude but I don't think any of these are that. However I really love these shades and can see myself wearing them lots. The formula is amazing! So easy to apply and once it dries it stays forever!

 I had to get this set called For Fox Sake because it gives a great arrangement of a ton of different finishes. And the name is great! I was kinda sad that the packaging has black accents instead of silver because I just really love the original silver packaging.

 From left to right: Trap, My Jam, Echo Park, Man Eater, Beeper

The swatch missing a label is Man Eater. (oops.)

 These swatches are too beautiful!! I'm wearing Trap today and it's and amazing "greige" toned nude.

 I came to realize that Come and get it is a pretty exact duper for Angelic from the Huda Beauty Rose Gold palette.

 

And I think that's about it!

LORAC PRO Palette

 I had wanted to try out the LORAC PRO Palette for a while now. I've never seen it anywhere in Canada so when I found it in Kohls in Vegas I bought it. I believe it was $42 or something like that. The shades are all neutral. Half a matte and half a shimmery. The colors all compliment each-other nicely so I thought I could make some nice looks with it.

 

 It also came with a mini eye primer which I actually really enjoy!

 The shades are all quite pretty. They are fairly pigmented but not as much as I expected. I feel like a need to layer them a bi before I get my desired look. The are fairly bendable.  I must say, I do prefer my NAKED 2 palette.

It was a nice change for my eyeshadow collection. Althought if I could go back, I probably wouldn't buy it again.

Overall I'd give this a 7/10.

My Maybelline Collection! Best & Worst

Hello Everyone!
My mind drew a blank trying to brainstorm ideas for today's post. I ended up coming up with the idea of doing a makeup brand collection and showing the best and worst of my collection. I decided to start with Maybelline as it's one of my favorite drugstore brands! I hope you enjoy this new little segment/idea!

Starting with face, I've got 3 products!

Dream Fresh BB Cream: Around $9.99 This product has an amazing SPF of 30 and it's very lightweight! It doesn't provide much coverage but it blurs the skin and has moisturizing benefits. 8.5/10

Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser: Around $9.99 This wasn't one of my favorites from Maybelline. I feel like it very slightly blurred the appearance of my pores, but I could definitely still notice them. I was a bit disappointing and I regret purchasing this. 

6/10

Fit Me Concealer: Around $6 This concealer is amazing! It's very affordable and gives amazing coverage to under-eye circles! I use this daily and it blends so easily!

10/10

Onto eyes!

Master Precise Liner: Around $7 This is very precise and gives a great winged look. It's very easy to use and lasts long too! 

9/10

Eye Studio Gel Liner: Around $10 This is amazing! It is so intensely black and is so creamy and smooth. It's very easy to apply with a thin brush and it last all day without fading and smudging! This is definitely one of my favorites from Maybelline!

10/10

Eye Studio Baked Shadow: Around $6 This is not a bad product but it's nothing special. It's fairly pigmented but doesn't last a super long time.

7/10

Single Shadow: Around $4 I didn't really like this product as it's not very pigmented and it doesn't last. It just doesn't do much for me.

5/10

Lastly, Lips!

Baby Lips: Around $4 These are another favorite of mine! They are so moisturizing and give a light splash of color. They last a while and smell great too!

9.5/10

Color Whisper: Around $8 This is also fairly moisturizing and has great color payoff! It gives off more color than Baby Lips but less than a lipstick.

8/10

That's all for my Maybelline Collection! I've also tried many of their mascara but I don't currently have any. I hope you enjoyed!

Bye!

xx Ella

Urban Decay NAKED 2 Palette ~ Review & Swatches!

Hello everyone!

I have been waiting to post my review on the NAKED 2 palette for what feels like ages! I received this for my birthday and have been using it ever since. After years of wanting it I finally have it! Out of the 3 NAKED palettes, this was the one that appealed to me the most. The taupe-hued shades really stood out to me and are great neutrals for everyday. This palette is so versatile and can create numerous eye looks from bare to smokey.

Anyways, on with the review!

The palette came with a primer potion set containing 4 different eye primer samples. I was excited to see this because I have been wanting to try out Urban Decay's primer potion shades for a while now! I've been trying these out and they really do help shadow stay vibrant and last all day.

The samples are actually fairly large! It says they will last around a week, but I've been using Eden for nearly 3 weeks now and I still have lots left. A little goes a long way with this!

The packaging is almost like a tin case and it's very sturdy and good quality. The design is very simple and sleek and I really think it suits the palette. 

The NAKED 2 palette costs $64 CA and $54 US on Sephora.com. 

The palette inside is spectacular! There are 12 taupe-hued neutrals (as the UD website states) which are all very unique. A few of my favorite shades are FOXY, BOOTY CALL, VERVE, AND BUSTED.

My go-to look recently has been FOXY on the inner corner and brow-bone, BOOTY CALL and VERVE all over the lid, and a mixture of browns such as BUSTED and SNAKEBITE in the crease.

The palette has a great selection of shades from very light shades to extremely deep shades. There are 3 mattes in the palette which are great shadows to have. I really love shimmer so this palette is perfect for me!

From left to right: FOXY, HALF BAKED, BOOTY CALL, CHOPPER, TEASE, SNAKEBITE, SUSPECT, PISTOL, VERVE, YDK, BUSTED, BLACKOUT.

The shadows have amazing pigmentation! However a few of the shadows don't show up as pigmented on the eyes as they do swatched. They're so smooth and velvety and they blend so easily. The shadows create the most stunning eye-makeup looks that last all day. All of the shades in the palette correspond with each other creating opportunity for endless looks. It's perfect for day or night!

It also comes with a dual-ended makeup brush which is another great bonus to this palette! The brush is a fairly good quality brush with a side great for packing on color and a side perfect for blending. The bristles are very soft and they blend the shadows effortlessly.

The swatches are so buttery (funny but accurate chose of words!) and smooth!

Here's an up close of the texture of the eyeshadows. 

OVERALL:

Pigmentation: 9/10

Lasting Power (with primer): 10/10

Lasting Power (without primer): 9/10

Blend-ability: 10/10

Packaging: 10/10

Price: 7/10 Pricey but almost average for high-end palettes.

Downside: Some shadows aren't as pigmented and some shadows lose pigmentation with light blending.

Would I repurchase?: Probably, if I ever run out

Would I recommend?: Definitively!
Overall: 9/10!

I hope you enjoyed this review & sorry for the length! I wanted to fit in as much info as possible!

Bye! :)